In every footwear company on the planet, the design process is a key element in the shoe-building cycle. That’s a given. But Mizuno takes that process several steps further, by utilizing the expertise of the most experienced footwear designers in the world who lay the foundation of a great running shoe design.

The process is complex, but the goal is a simple one: To blend the science of modern shoe-building with the art of shoe design to produce state-of-the-art running shoes.

If you are running a marathon this fall (or already have run one), many thoughts will cross your mind during your long journey. And one just might be: Why the heck is a marathon precisely 26 miles, 385 yards? Or 42.195 kilometers for our metric friends?

For runners, it often seems like calluses, blisters and black toenails are just part of the running equation. Our feet take such a terrible pounding from all the miles we put in that foot issues are an accepted part of running.

Buying a good pair of running shoes should be fairly simple, but for a beginner it can be an intimidating experience. Sorting through all the neat, new shoes models with their high-tech wizardry can be as confusing as a foreign language. Actually, running shoes do have a language all its own. To sort through the clutter, we have tried to simplify the shoe-buying process by taking a beginning runner step-by-step through the procedure.